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&  OF    TUB  *ZZ-  \ 


COMMITTEE    ON    AGRICULTURE, 


RECOMMENDING  A  GEOLOGICAL  TTIYIiY  OF  TTIIi  miT 


JUN  2?  1955 


UBftARY 

SR^nr^jggj 


WITH    A     BILL     FOR 


• 


BATON    ROUGE: 

J.     M.     TAYLOR,    STATE    PRINTER 

1S58. 


BttmiiB  $190*1 

L 


OF    THI 


COMMITTEE    ON    AGRICULTURE, 


RECOMMENDING  A  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY  OF  THE  STATE, 


WITH    A     BILL     FOR    THAT     PURPOSE. 


BATON    ROUGE: 
J.    M.    TAYLOR,    STATE    PRINTER. 

1S58. 


R0CUMENTS 

DEPT. 


htunijr 


OF  THB 


COMMITTEE    ON    AGRICULTURE, 

RECOMMENDING   A    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY   OF   THE    STATE,    WITH    A 
BILL    FOR   THAT    PURPOSE. 


To  the  Honorable  W.  W.  Pugh, 

Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  : 

THE  undersigned,  members  of  the  Agricultural  Committee  of  the 
House,  to  which  was  referred  the  Resolution  offered  February  15th, 
by  the  Hon.  J.  T.  Hawkins,  to  procure  -a  Geological  Survey  of 
the  State  of  Louisiana,  beg  leave  to  offer  a  Minority  Report : 

That,  considering  the  future  and  the  permanent  prosperity  of  the 
State  of  Louisiana,  it  is  eminently  desirable  to  have  a  systematic 
and  thorough  exploration  and  survey  of  the  State  territory,  in  refer- 
ence to  its  mineral  and  agricultural  resources,  its  botanical  and 
zoological  productions,  and  its  sanitary  conditions  and  capabilities. 

Louisiana  stands  almost  alone  among  her  sister  States  in  respect 
to  these  important  matters.  Other  States,  old  and  new,  have 
prosecuted  such  surveys  with  considerable  energy,  and  are  now 
profiting  by  the  knowledge  of  local  resources  thus  developed.* 

Such  surveys  are  preeminently  American  enterprises ;  for  they 
were  first  devised  and  executed  in  our  own  country  nearly  thirty 

*  Report  of  New  Orleans  Academy  of  Sciences,  February  4th,  1856,  published  by 
order  of  the  Legislature. 

357 


years  ago.  Commencing  with  a  survey  of  the  counties  of  Albany 
and  Rensselaer,  New  York,  and  of  the  region  of  the  great  Erie 
Canal — all  undertaken  at  the  personal  cost  of  Stephen  Van  Renssa- 
laer — and  thence  extending  to  North  Carolina  (which  first  set  the 
example  of  a  State  survey),  they  have,  in  turn,  spread  to  nearly 
every  State,  to  many  of  our  Territories,  to  the  British-American 
provinces,  and  to  various  countries  of  Europe ;  in  which  quarter  of 
the  globe  the  earliest  survey  was  undertaken  thirteen  years  subse- 
quently to  those  of  the  counties  named  in  New  York,  and  to  North 
Carolina.*  Arkansas  has  just  secured  the  services  of  David  Dale 
Owen,  who,  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  Government,  sur- 
veyed Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and  part  of  Nebraska.  An 
Act,  authorizing  such  a  survey,  has  just  been  passed  by  the  present 
Legislature  of  Texas.  The  Eastern,  the  Northern,  the  Middle,  and  the 
Western  States,  it  is  understood,  have  completed  or  have  authorized 
surveys— not  excepting  the  youngest  in  the  Confederacy.  Of  the 
Southern  States,  Louisiana  is  believed  to  be  the  only  one  which  has 
neglected  such  a  work,  with  the  possible  exception  of  Florida,  of 
which  nothing  has  been  learned  by  your  Committee. 

The  Legislature  of  Louisiana,  in  1841,  caused  some  cursory  inves- 
tigations of  a  geological  nature  to  be  made  by  Messrs.  Carpenter, 
Trastour,  and  Forshey.  Those  gentlemen/  made  reports  which  were 
never  printed,  and  which  are  not  known  to >  lOfy  extent  at  the  present 
time  ;  having  probably  been  lost  while  in  the  keeping  of  Mr.  D.  E. 
St.  Romes,  then  the  State  Printer. f 

For  many  years  past,  the  devotees  of  science,  and  other  men  of  in- 
telligence, have  advocated  a  geological  and  scientific  survey  as  a 
measure  preeminently  calculated,  not  only  to  assist  in  creating  among 
our  citizens  a  taste  for  the  useful,  and  the  elevating  pursuits  of  true 
knowledge,  but  also  of  enriching  the  State  by  developing  unknown 
resources  which  will,  an  hundred  fold, repay  the  most  liberal  expendi- 

*  The  order  of  the  earlier  surveys,  as  given  by  President  Ed.  Hitchcock  at  the  in- 
auguration of  the  New  York  State  Geological  Hall,  August,  1856,  was  as  follows: 
"  Albany  and  Renssalaer  counties,  1820  ;  North  Carolina,  latter  part  of  1820  :  Region 
of  Erie  Canal,  1823;  South  Carolina,  1828;  Massachusetts  Trigonometrical  and  Geol., 
1830  :  Tennessee,  Maryland,  New  Jersey,  New  York,  Canada,  Nova  Scotia,  New 
Brunswick,  and  European  surveys,  all  were  subsequent.  New  York  began  in  18?6, 
and  is  yet  in  progress.5' 

\  Rep.  of  N.  0.  Acad.  Sci.,  1856. 


ture.     On  the  llth  February,  1856,  this  House,  on  motion  of  Hon. 
Wm.  A.  Gordon,  adopted  the  following  resolution  ; 

"Resolved,  That  the  Committee  on  Internal  Improvements  be  re- 
quired to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  causing  a  general 
geological  survey  of  the  State  of  Louisiana  to  be  made,  and  that  they 
call  upon  the  New  Orleans  Academy  of  Science  for  a  report  upon 
that  subject." — See  Journal  of  House  of  Reps. ,  1856,  p.  29. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  Hon.  P.  C.  Wright,  Chairman  of  that 
Committee,  "  presented  a  memorial,  in  the  shape  of  a  Report  of  the 
Special  Committee  of  the  New  Orleans  Academy  of  Sciences,  on  the 
importance  of  a  geological  survey  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  which 
was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Internal  Improvements."     (Ibid, 
p.  53).  The  report  was  accepted,  and  printed  by  order  of  the  Legis- 
lature ;  and  it  is  to  be  found  in  the  volume  of  official  documents  for 
the  year  1856  ;  but  it  is  not  known  that  anything  further  has  been 
done  to  the  present  time.     The  New  Orleans  Academy  of  Sciences 
unanimously  declared  in  favor  of  a  "  systematic  and  thorough  explo- 
ration and  survey  of  the  State  territory,  in  reference  to  its  mineral 
and  agricultural  resources,  its  botanical  and  geological  productions, 
and  its  sanitary  conditions  and  capacities  ;"  and  they  ventured  "to 
predict  that  the  benefits  resulting  from  it  would  far  outweigh  its  pe- 
cuniary cost."  The  State  Engineer,  in  a  Special  Report,  dated  Janu- 
ary 31st,  1857,  and  again,  in  his  Annual  Report  for  the  present  year, 
has  ably  and  eloquently  recommended  such  a  survey.     In  the  latter 
communication,  he  says,  "I  have  before  called  the  attention  of  the 
Legislature  to  a  survey  of  the  State.     Accurate  surveys  should  be 
the  basis   of  all  our  works,  and  a  survey  of  the  State  should  have 
been  the  first  of  our  labors  for  the  establishment  of  a  system  of  inter- 
nal improvements.     I  do  not  choose  to  give  my  views  again  on  the 
subject  of  a  survey  of  the  State.    I  will  content  myself  with  respect- 
fully referring  to  my  Special  Report  of  January  31st,  1857,   i  On   a 
system  of  internal  improvement.'     I  wish,  however,  to  add  something 
to  the  views  expressed  in  the  said  report,  upon  one  subject ;  namely, 
geology.     The  idea  has  been  current  that,  because  we  have  no  large 
mountains,  caves,  mines,  etc.,  etc.,  that  we  know  all  about  Louisiana, 
and  that  we  therefore  need   no  geological  examination  or  survey. 
The  idea  is  erroneous,  and  we  do  not  know  our  country.     There  .are 
millions  of  facts  of  which  we  are  in  entire  ignorance.     Were  these 


facts  known,  our  State  might  prove  to  contain  such  riches  aa  we 
never  dreamed  of.  Again,  those  facts  would,  beyond  a  doubt,  give 
us  such  information  as  would  furnish  us  with  the  only  correct  data 
required  for  the  direction  of  many  of  our  works.  I  could  amplify 
upon  the  subject,  and  cite  several  known  facts  as  indications  of  what 
might  be  discovered  by  the  geologist ;  but  my  report  is  now  lengthy, 
and  I  will  drop  the  matter  with  the  recommendation  that  your  Honor- 
able bodies  provide  for  a  geological  survey  of  the  State.  I  do  not  say, 
make  now  a  heavy  appropriation  for  this  survey,  but  I  do  say,  or- 
ganize the  Geological  Department ;  authorize  the  G-overnor  to  appoint 
a  competent  geologist  as  the  head  of  the  department,  and  make  an 
appropriation  of  such  a  sum  as  will  suffice  to  perform  the  work  for 
one  year.  This  will  be  the  beginning,  and  the  Legislature,  at  every 
session  hereafter,  will  provide  the  further  means  necessary  for  the 
annual  expenditures.  By  reference  to  the  documents  of  former  Le- 
gislatures, it  will  be  seen  that  I  cannot  claim  to  have  originated  th« 
plan  of  a  geological  survey  of  our  State.  I  do  not  entertain  such  a 
-jOi  claim  ;  and  I  trust  that  those  who  have  spoken  and  petitioned  before 
^^me,  will  believe  that  they  will  join  with  me  in  new  efforts  to  cause 
" •-  •  '  (the  system  to  be  established." 

(Signed,)  Louis  HEBERT, 

SMe  Engineer. 

ATON  ROUGE,  January  1,   1858. 

The  proposed  measure  is  demanded  by  the  intelligence  of  the  age. 
The  community  is  prepared  for  it,  and  expect  it  at  our  hands ;  and 
it  is  believed  that  they  will  sustain  the  Legislature,  even  to  the  ex- 
tent of  levying  a  special  tax,  should  that  be  found  necessary,  for  the 
support  of  an  enterprise  so  certain  as  a  geological  survey  to  enhance 
the  wealth  of  the  State  and  the  intelligence  and  happiness  of  her 
children. 

Encouraged  by  the  examples  of  other  States,  and  by  the  express 
invitation  of  the  previous  Legislature,  the  New  Orleans  Academy  of 
Sciences,  during  the  session  of  1857,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Internal  Improvements,  requesting  that 
the  subject  of  a  survey  should  be  revived,  and  some  decisive  measures 
adopted  for  carrying  it  into  effect ;  but  they  were  informed  that  just 
previously  to  their  communication  the  House  had  adopted  a  resolu- 
tion against  the  reception  of  any  new  bills  after  a  certain  date,  which 


resolution  defeated  the  wishes  of  the  Academy  for  that  session. 
Within  the  past  few  days  the  Academy  (which,  it  is  understood  by 
your  committee,  was  created  for  the  sole  purpose  of  increasing  and 
diffusing  knowledge  and  of  elevating  the  scientific  character  of  the 
State)  have  placed  at  the  disposal  of  your  committee  copies  of  a  new 
Report  of  a  special  committee  of  their  body,  which  was  unanimously 
adopted  February  1st,  1858,  with  the  view  of  bringing  the  matter 
before  the  Legislature  of  the  State  at  the  commencement  of  the 
present  session.  This  Report  they  have  printed  at  their  private  cost, 
and  forwarded  by  a  special  delegate  from  their  own  body,  who  is 
authorized  to  declare  that  the  Academy  neither  seeks  nor  will  accept 
any  management  or  control  of  the  survey,  in  its  corporate  capacity. 
In  their  present  Report  they  repeat  the  language  adopted  in  their 
former  one  :  "  That  a  geological  and  scientific  survey  of  the  State  of 
Louisiana  is,  under  all  the  circumstances,  much  to  be  desired ;  that 
it  should  be  judiciously  and  not  too  hastily  prosecuted ;  and  that  an 
annual  outlay  of  ten  or  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  exclusive  of  the  cost 
of  printing  an  annual  report  of  the  progress  of  the  work,  would 
probably  be  found  sufficient."  They  estimate  "  that  in  about  ten 
years  from  its  commencement,  the  final  report  might  be  ready  for 
publication.  Should  such  a  survey  be  judiciously  organized  and 
steadily  prosecuted,"  they  "predict  that  the  benefits  resulting  from 
it  will  greatly  outweigh  its  pecuniary  cost."  For  many  of  the  facts 
and  conclusions  herewith  presented,  we  take  this  occasion  to  acknow- 
ledge our  indebtedness  to  the  Academy's  new  Report. 

The  President  of  the  British  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Science,  in  his  inaugural  address,  delivered  at  Cheltenham,  August 
6th,  1856,  said :  "  It  begins  to  be  generally  felt  that  amongst  the 
faculties  of  the  mind,  upon  the  development  of  which  in  youth  suc- 
cess in  after  life  mainly  depends,  there  are  some  which  are  best  im- 
proved through  the  cultivation  of  the  physical  sciences,  and  that  the 
rudiments  of  those  sciences  are  most  easily  acquired  at  an  early 
period  of  life.  That  power  of  minute  observation — those  habits  of 
method  and  arrangement — that  aptitude  for  patient  and  laborious 
inquiry — that  tact  and  sagacity  in  deducing  inferences  from  evidence 
short  of  demonstration,  which  the  natural  sciences  more  particularly 
promote,  are  the  fruits  of  early  education,  and  acquired  with  difficulty 
at  a  later  period.  I  look  forward  to  the  day  when  the  requirements 


in  the  department  of  physical  science  will  become  so  general  and  so 
pressing  that  no  institution  will  venture  to  risk  its  reputation  by 
declining  to  admit  those  branches  of  study  into  its  educational 
courses." — Quoted  in  the  Canadian  Journal  of  Industry,  Science 
and  Art,  January,  1857. 

GEOLOGICAL    FORMATIONS. 

i 'From  the  most  authentic  information  at  present  obtainable,  it  is 
inferred  that  this-  State  offers  no  great  diversity  of  geological  forma- 
tions. Most  of  the  State  is  of  recent  alluvion.  The  north  and 
north-western  portions  exhibit  tertiary,  and  possibly  older  formations 
— the  tertiary  characterized  by  points  of  great  interest.  Our  allu- 
vion— which  is  mostly  the  creation  of  the  great  Mississippi,  produced, 
in  part,  under  our  own  eyes — offers  a  grand  exemplification  of  geolo- 
gical dynamics,  deserving  of  profound  study." 

MINERALS. 

"  As  to  our  useful  minerals,  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  iron  ore 
of  great  value  is  to  be  found ;  and  that  the  north-western  parishes 
abound  in  gypsum,  which  is  valued  as  a  cement  in  the  arts  and  in 
building,  and  as  a  fertilizer  in  agriculture ;  also  in  common  salt, 
which  is  generally  associated  with  gypsum." 

It  is  within  the  personal  knowledge  of  a  member  of  this  Com- 
mittee, that  salt  is  now  manufactured,  to  a  limited  extent,  in  the 
Parish  of  Claiborne,  from  saline  springs  of  great  purity  and  rich- 
ness ;  while,  from  the  communications  which  have  recently  appeared 
in  the  New  Orleans  newspapers,  arguments  are  derived  which  encou- 
rage a  reasonable  expectation  of  unusual  facilities,  on  our  sea-coast, 
for  the  manufacture  of  salt  by  the  solar  evaporation  of  sea -water,  as 
practised  with  great  success  in  France  and  Italy. 

SOILS. 

For  several  years  past,  a  survey  has  been  in  progress  in  the  State 
of  Mississippi.  The  latest  Report  of  that  survey  by  the  State  Geo- 
logist, Mr.  L.  Harper,  was  published  in  March,  1857,  and  has  been 
submitted  to  your  Committee. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  interest,  to  us,  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
geology  of  that  State ;  for  her  geographical  and  topographical  pecu- 
liarities are  strikingly  similar  to  those  which  distinguish  Louisiana ; 


and  the  discoveries  made  there  are  almost  certain  to  be  repeated 
here.  Both  the  States  are  almost  exclusively  agricultural,  and  are 
distinguished  for  lands  of  such  fertility  as  can  scarcely  be  paralleled 
in  either  hemisphere.  But  our  agriculture  is  of  the  most  wasteful 
character.  We  perpetually  repeat  the  same  crop,  until  the  soil  is 
exhausted  of  some  indispensable  ingredient ;  and  then  we  abandon  it 
for  newer  fields.  "  Our  own  State,  in  reference  to  its  fertility,  is 
confessedly  the  Egypt  of  the  New  World ;  but,  rich  and  deep  as  is 
most  of  our  soil,  it  nevertheless  becomes  gradually  exhausted  of 
potassa  and  the  phosphates,  by  repeated  cereal  crops ;  and  it  hence 
behooves  us  to  cast  about,  in  good  time,  for  the  most  economical 
means  of  preventing  such  a  result.  The  thorough  investigation  of 
the  nature  and  composition  of  all  our  prominent  and  prevalent  varie- 
ties of  soil,  implied  in  the  prosecution  of  a  scientific  survey,  could 
not  fail  to  be  of  the  greatest  value.  We  should  thus  be  put  in  pos- 
session of  all  the  important  facts  and  data  necessary  to  the  advance- 
ment of  our  agriculture.  Our  planters  could  economically  prevent 
the  deterioration  of  the  cultivated  soil,  whatever  crops  should  be 
raised ;  and  since  chemical  analyses  have  shown  that  each  species  of 
plants  appropriates,  while  growing,  certain  special  kinds  of  mineral 
matters,  the  analysis  of  the  soil  would  indicate  the  adaptability  of 
certain  soils  to  any  particular  crop.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the 
shores  of  many  of  our  unfrequented  bays  and  inlets  from  the  Gulf 
will  be  found  to  yield  a  guano-like  substance,  rich  in  phosphate  of 
lime.  This  can  only  be  determined  by  exploration  and  chemical 
analysis.  Should  such  conjecture  be  found  correct,  its  value  for  fer- 
tilizing the  fields  devoted  to  the  raising  of  human  food,  would  trans- 
cend all  moderate  calculation." 

There  is  one  aspect  in  which  chemical  analysis  of  soils  would 
possess  here  a  value  unknown  elsewhere  :  namely,  here  the  extent 
of  soils  which  are  identical  would  make  a  few  analyses  suffice  for 
vast  regions  ;  whereas,  in  more  northern  States,  a  separate  analysis 
would  be  required  for  nearly  every  field. 

MARL. 

"We  possess  numberless  beds  of  shell-marl,  more  or  less  useful  in 
agriculture  ;  but  whether  we  have  marl-beds  rich  in  phosphates  or 
potassa  (two  of  the  most  important  ingredients  of  good  soil  for  pro- 
ducing cereals  and  fruits),  we  are  unable  to  say.  The  investigation 


10 

of  this  matter  alone  is  of  vast  importance  to  our  future  well-being 
as  a  prosperous  State."  In  our  peculiar  climate,  it  is  practicably 
impossible  to  produce  or  import  artificial  manures,  by  reason  of  their 
costliness.  The  discovery,  therefore,  of  natural  fertilizers  under 
our  very  feet,  which  are  competent  to  restore  both  our  poor  and  our 
exhausted  lands,  is  of  more  importance  to  us  than  the  gold  mines  of 
California.  In  Mississippi,  such  discoveries  have  been  made,  sur- 
passing, in  quality  and  extent,  any  others  in  the  world.  Commencing 
in  the  south-east  part  of  Missisippi,  near  the  State  line  of  Alabama, 
a  broad  belt  of  shell-marl  extends,  in  a  north-west  course,  quite 
across  the  State,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  River.  It  underlies 
more  than  two  thousand  square  miles,  and  varies  in  thickness  from 
a  few  inches  to  one  hundred  feet.  It  is  found  not  only  in  the 
extreme  northern  counties,  but  also,  where  it  is  most  needed,  among 
the  nearly  worthless  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  the  gulf  coast  [Harper's 
Greol.  Rep.,  p.  16,  17].  A  better  fertilizer  does  not  exist.  It  will 
continue,  through  ten  years,  to  produce  effects  which,  in  the  case  of 
guano,  are  merely  limited  to  one  year. 

GREEN     SAND. 

Green  sand,  containing  silica,  alumina,  protoxyde  of  iron,  lime, 
magnesia,  and  potassa,  is  found  in  many  diversified  localities  in  Miss- 
issippi, and  is  perfectly  adapted  to  heavy  clay  lands,  whether  post- 
oak  or  prairie  soil.  It  is  certain  to  be  discovered  in  Louisiana. 

COAL. 

A  species  of  mineral  coal,  called  lignite,  or  brown  coal,  exists  in 
great  abundance  in  the  counties  of  Lauderdale,  Claiborne,  Warren, 
Franklin,  Hinds,  Rankin,  and  Yazoo  [Harper,  p.  168].  A  peculi- 
arity which  is  characteristic  of  the  southern  lignite,  consists  in  its 
saturation  with  a  resinous  substance  resembling  amber,  which  renders 
it  invaluable  for  all  purposes  as  fuel.  From  its  first  discovery  in 
Scotland,  it  received  the  name  of  torbain-hill  mineral  and  big-head 
coal.  It  was  employed,  on  one  occasion,  for  furnishing  gas  to  light 
the  Queen's  palace  at  Windsor,  and  with  gratifying  results ;  but  it 
is  now  considered,  in  England,  too  valuable  in  the  arts  to  be  con- 
sumed as  fuel.  Its  most  extraordinary  deposit  has  recently  been 
found  in  Arkansas,  on  the  Ouachita  River,  immediately  adjacent  to 


11 


the  northern  line  of  Louisiana.  The  following  comparative  analysis 
of  five  different  specimens  of  coal,  will  exhibit  the  value  of  the 
southern  lignite.  In  one  hundred  parts  of 


Volatile  j 
Comb' able      Fixed 
Matters.      Carbon. 


Name  of  Chemist. 


]  Pittsburg  coal |  32.95 

j  Breckeuridae 60.41 

i  Kanawha..." 41.85 

!  Picton,  Nova  Scotia.  26.76 

I  Southern  lignite !  59.00 


64.72! 

2S.89J 
55.55 
60.73 
32.70 


2.31!Prof.  B.  Silliman,  Jr. 


10.70 


Prof.  J.  B.  Chilton. 


2.60 
12.51! 
8.30  Prof.  J.  L.  Eiddell. 


[See  H.  0.  Morris'  "Papers  relating  to  Ouachita  Coal-field,"  1857, 
p.  7.] 

The  Arkansas  bed  of  lignite  is  reported  to  be  fifty  miles  in  length, 
fifteen  miles  in  breadth,  of  an  average  thickness  of  five  feet,  and 
accessible  to  boats  at  all  seasons.  It  burns  with  a  clear  flame  and 
very  little  smoke,  until  the  volitile  portion  is  consumed,  and  the  whole 
mass  then  remains  incandescent  until  it  is  resolved  into  a  small  por- 
tion of  reddish  ashes,  which  seem  destitute  of  grittiness.  It  is  stated 
to  be  superior  to  Pittsburg  coal  for  producing  gas,  and  the  other 
precious  products  obtainable  from  it  (such  as  kerosene,  parafine,  nap- 
tha,  benzole,  and  other  hydro-carbons),  will  open  new  resources  for 
manufactures.  Its  power  of  generating  steam  has  been  tried  on  a 
large  scale,  and  is  declared  to  be  "  equal  to  Pittsburg  coal,  pound  for 
pound."  Mr.  Harper  says,  "This  lignite  is  useful,  not  only  for  the 
purposes  named,  but,  when  pulverized,  by  exposure  to  the  air  and 
sun,  or  by  mechanical  means,  it  makes  an  excellent  manur'e,  specially 
adapted  to  the  soil  of  those  counties  in  Mississippi  where  it  is  most 
valuable  and  most  abundant.  From  eight  to  ten  wagon-loads  applied 
to  the  acre  have  proved  effective  for  a  term  of  six  or  eight  years." 
[Harper,  p.  304, 305.]  It  is  not  doubted  that  portions  of  this  Ouachita 
bed  of  lignite  will  be  discovered  in  Louisiana.  In  one  of  the  northern 
parishes  of  our  State,  similar  lignite  has  been  taken  from  the  bed  of 
a  stream,  and  used  by  a  blacksmith  with  satisfactory  results.  This 
fact  has  been  communicated  to  the  Committee  by  one  of  its  own 
members.  The  development  of  such  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  fuel 
would,  in  itself,  repay  the  pecuniary  cost  of  surveying  many  States 
such  as  Louisiana.  It  is  truly  to  be  regarded  as  a  reproach  that, 


12 

thus  far,  we  have  been  indebted  to  mere  accident  for  discoveries 
which  should  have  been  the  rewards  of  enlightened  forecast  and 
careful  investigation. 

CLAY     AND      KAOLIN. 

The  Mississippi  survey  has  discovered  the  existence  of  a  fine  green 
clay,  in  three  different  localities  in  Wayne  County,  which  is  perfectly 
plastic,  dries  with  scarce  any  cracking,  becomes  hard  and  susceptible 
of  a  fine  polish,  and  is  entirely  refractory  in  every  fire  to  which 
it  has  been  possible  to  subject  it.  Its  color  is  probably  due  to  a 
minute  portion  of  silicate  of  iron.  It  is  adapted  to  the  making  of 
fire-bricks,  fine  pottery,  and  the  modeling  of  statuary.  A  clay  still 
finer,  perfectly  infusible,  and  adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  very 
good  porcelain,  is  found  in  the  same  county.  In  Wilkinson  County, 
adjoining  our  parish  of  West  Feliciana,  exists  excellent  plastic  clay 
for  pottery  and  for  fire-bricks.  In  Tippah  and  Adams  Counties,  the 
manufacture  of  the  finer  kinds  of  pottery  has  already  been  com- 
menced. [Harper,  p.  169.]  The  State  Geologist  seriously  recom- 
mends the  manufacture  of  fire-bricks  in  Wayne  County,  for  exporta- 
tion to  Mobile  and  New  Orleans,  even  by  railroad,  as  a  remunerating 
enterprise,  [p.  307.] 

An  immense  deposit  of  the  purest  kaolin — true  porcelain  clay- 
has  been  discovered,  by  the  Mississippi  survey,  in  Tishamingo  County, 
which,  in  its  extent,  has  not  been  equalled  in  America.  Kaolin  is  a 
chemical  compound  of  silica  47.20  parts,  alumina  89.10  parts,  and 
water  13.70  parts  in  100  parts :  a  real  hydrated  silicate  of  alumina. 
It  underlies  a  surface,  within  Mississippi,  of  nearly  60  square  miles, 
and  extends  across  the  State  into  Alabama.  Pure  kaolin  is  of  com- 
paratively rare  occurrence,  and  is  chiefly  confined  to  parts  of  China 
and  of  Europe,  where  its  value  surpasses  that  of  mines  of  the  precious 
metals,  and  its  ownership  is  monopolized  by  princes.  The  Mississippi 
bed  is  competent  to  supply  the  whole  world  with  kaolin  for  many 
thousands  of  years.  [Harper,  p.  64.]  The  probability  of  similar 
treasures  in  Louisiana,  now  waiting  to  reward  the  enterprise  of  a 
survey,  does  not  admit  of  a  doubt.  "  Within  a  few  weeks,  a  body  of 
clay  has  been  found  in  the  parish  of  Catahoula,  which,  for  all  uses  in 
the  mechanic  arts,  is  pronounced  equal  to  the  best  Stourbridge  clay, 
BO  precious  for  making  crucibles  and  the  melting-pots  of  the  glass 


13 

manufacturer ;  and  a  company  of  practical  workmen  is  already  on  the 
spot,  preparing  for  the  manufacture  of  fire-bricks,  for  exportation 
and  for  domestic  consumption.  It  is  the  declared  expectation  of  the 
company  to  employ,  as  their  permanent  source  of  fuel,  the  Ouachita 
lignite  already  described  as  lying  in  their  vicinity.  No  argument  can 
be  necessary  to  enlighten  the  sugar-planters  of  Louisiana  as  to  their 
interest  in  this  matter. 

BUILDING     STONE. 

"It  is  not  certain  that  we  possess  valuable  building  materials,  in 
the  form  of  quarries  of  stone,  within  our  State  limits ;  yet  some 
beautiful  specimens  of  variegated  marble  have  been  presented  to  the 
New  Orleans  Academy  of  Sciences,  by  Newton  Richards,  Esq., 
which  were  found  in  the  parish  of  St.  Landry,  and  which  encourage 
the  hope  that  it  may  exist  in  quantities  and  of  qualities  worthy  of 
attention.  A  geological  survey  would  decide  the  question."  It 
would  likewise  inform  us  as  to  the  existence  of  any  materials  from 
which  we  may  obtain  supplies  of  lime  and  hydraulic  cement ;  and 
thus  become  independent  of  the  foreign  sources  from  which  those 
indispensable  articles  are  now  obtained.  Our  sand  is,  perhaps,  the 
purest  in  the  world ;  and  is  adapted  not  only  to  building  purposes, 
but  is  the  very  material  required  for  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds 
of  glass. 

HYDROGRAPHY. 

"  A  complete  geological  survey  would  incidentally  bring  to  light 
much  valuable  information  respecting  the  topography  and  hydrogra- 
phy of  our  enormous  but  now  worthless  sea-marsh,  and  the  possi- 
bility of  its  reclamation  for  agricultural  purposes."  Such  acquisi- 
tions of  knowledge,  added  to  the  more  reliable  information  which 
must  result  as  to  the  best  method  of  controlling  crevasses,  would 
point  out  to  Legislators  the  manner  of  fulfilling  both  the  letter  and 
the  spirit  of  the  Constitution  as  to  the  employment  of  the  Swamp 
Land  Fund.  "  It  would,  of  course,  devolve  upon  the  Legislature  to 
decide  whether  or  not  the  geological  and  mineralogical  exploration 
contemplated  should  include,  or  be  prosecuted  in  connection  with,  a 
a  topographical  and  hydrographical  survey." 


14 


NATURAL     WATERS. 

u  A  thorough  investigation  should  be  included  in  the  plan,  into 
the  qualities  of  all  our  indigenous  waters — including  rivers,  bayous, 
creeks,  lakes,  lagoons,  wells,  and  springs,  whether  yielding  ordi- 
nary potable  fresh  water,  or  water  charged  with  mineral  ingre- 
dients. To  sustain  the  mosfc  desirable  tone  of  good  health,  human 
beings  require  water,  not  absolutely  pure,  but  containing  from  one 
to  three  parts  in  ten  thousand  of  the  mineral  salts  of  lime,  soda, 
iron,  etc.  In  other  parts  of  the  world,  great  value,  as  curative 
means,  is  deservedly  attached  to  mineral  waters.  There  is  reason  to 
suppose  that  our  State  is  unusually  rich  in  these  hygienic  resources." 
Indeed,  members  of  your  Committee  have  mentioned  chalybeate, 
sulphurous,  and  other  springs,  in  many  parishes  of  the  State,  which 
only  need  to  be  properly  known,  to  command  a  popularity  as  great 
as  that  enjoyed  by  the  celebrated  watering-places  of  the  North 
and  of  Europe. 

ARTESIAN     WELLS. 

"  By  a  careful  study  of  the  various  geological  beds  of  superposed 
sands,  clays,  marls,  and  rocky  strata,  which  occur  in  the  north  and 
north-western  portions  of  this  State,  and  especially  by  clearly  iden- 
tifying them  with  their  equivalents  in  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  our 
theory  of  artesian  wells  will  become  of  practical  value.  In  the 
States  named,  adjacent  to  us,  geological  surveys  have  been  for  some 
time  in  progress  under  legislative  authority.  Before  sinking  such  a 
well,  the  depths  at  which  water  will  be  obtained  can  then  be  very 
closely  calculated.  Now,  however,  aside  from  the  developments  of 
the  well  of  six  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in  Canal  street,  New  Orleans, 
all  beneath  us  is  literally  terra  incognita." 

COLLECTON    OF   SPECIMENS. 

"  In  order  to  make  the  results  of  the  proposed  scientific  survey  widely 
available  and  permanently  useful,  the  plan  should  contemplate  the 
collection  of  several  complete  sets  of  specimens  of  all  our  rocks, 
minerals,  sands,  clays,  marls,  varieties  of  soils,  and  samples  of  waters. 
These  should  be  accompanied  with  labels,  specifying  the  localities 
whence  obtained,  the  results  of  exact  chemical  analysis,  and  the 
various  economical  uses  to  which  they  are  applicable,  In  like  manner, 


15 

there  should  be  collected,  and  duly  preserved  and  labelled,  sets  of  dried 
or  prepared  specimens  of  all  our  indigenous  flora  and  fauna,  including 
trees,  herbs,  grasses,  weeds,  wild  flowers,  ferns,  algae,  fungi,  lichens, 
mosses,  shells,  insects,  reptiles,  fishes,  birds,  quadrupeds,  etc.  One 
of  these  museums  should  be  kept  in  the  State  House,  at  the  seat  of 
government,  one  at  the  University  of  Louisiana,  one  in  the  West- 
ern State  Seminary,  one  in  the  New  Orleans  Academy  of  Sciences, 
and  one  in  any  such  institution  as  the  State  may  hereafter  create  in 
the  nature  of  a  normal  school,  for  the  education  of  teachers  of  her 
public  schools." 

ENTOMOLOGY. 

"  Various  species  of  insects  often  become  the  dreaded  pests  of  the 
planter,  who  is  liable  to  suffer  from  '  blight,'  from  'rust, 'from  the 
4  army  worm,'  and  from  the  thousand  organized  enemies  of  his  crops ; 
and  the  study  of  natural  history  must  furnish  him  with  means  whereby 
their  ravages  may  be  arrested  or  lessened.  There  is  a  kind  of  dy- 
namic or  vital  equilibrium,  or  reciprocal  balance,  among  the  members 
of  organized  nature,  by  which  the  excessive  prevalence  of  one  race  or 
species  is  found  to  depend  upon  the  paucity  or  the  redundance  of 
some  other,  remotely  removed,  perhaps,  in  the  scale  of  being.  The 
agriculturalist,  by  availing  himself  of  a  knowledge  of  these  depend- 
encies, may  sometimes  almost  annihilate  a  particular  race  of  dstruc- 
tive  insects,  by  encouraging  the  multiplication  of  particular  species  of 
birds  which  prey  upon  them."  Children,  too,  are  universally  inte- 
rested with  such  objects,  and  pictures  of  beasts,  birds,  fishes,  insects, 
and  flowers,  are  ever  the  most  attractive  to  them.  But  the  course  of 
school  training  would  seem  to  have  been  devised  with  a  purpose  to 
make  them  despise  such  natural  tastes  as  puerile.  It  has  been  well 
said  by  the  late  State  Geologist  of  Vermont,  "  that  a  better  day  is 
dawning  upon  our  country,  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
instruction  in  natural  history  shall  occupy  its  true  place,  and  receive 
its  due  share  of  attention,  in  all  our  schools  and  seminaries  of  learn- 
ing. *  *  Let  the  pupils  in  our  schools  be 
encouraged  in  collecting,  and  aided  in  examining  such  objects  which 
abound  in  every  neighborhood,  and  they  will,  at  length,  acquire  such 
habits  of  careful  observation  and  discrimination  as  will  be  of  incalcu- 
lable service  to  them  in  after  life.  *  *  They  will  become  so 


16 

imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  naturalist,  that  they  will  go  forth  from 
the  school-room  to  their  rural  occupations  prepared  to  appreciate  the 
manifold  workings  of  that  beneficent  Providence  which  so  liberally 
rewards  them  for  all  their  toil.  *  *  *  To  watch  the  genial 

influence  of  sun  and  rains ;  the  process  of  vegetation  through  all  its 
stages  of  growth  and  decay  ;  the  transformations  and  habits  of  insects 
and  other  living  creatures,  and  their  relations  to  the  business  and  the 
interests  of  the  farmer :  such  pursuits  promote  health  of  body  by 
inducing  habits  of  cheerfulness  and  mental  serenity.  They  sharpen 
and  invigorate  the  intellectual  powers.  They  enlarge  our  views  of 
the  divine  wisdom  and  goodness,  and  awaken  continual  gratitude  to 
God  for  the  rich  provision  He  has  made  for  our  support  and  happi- 
ness here,  and  for  training  and  fitting  us  for  that  new  earth  which  we 
hope  to  inhabit  hereafter."  [ZadocJc  Thompson  s  Address  before  the 
Hoston  Society  of  Natural  History,  June,  1850.]  Such  pursuits  teach 
us  to  find  "books  in  the  running  brooks,  sermons  in  stones,  and  good 
in  everything." 

GR ASSE  s. 

"  A  thorough  scientific  and  practical  investigation  of  our  native 
grasses  would  be  apt  to  bring  to  light  some  species  which,  by  culti- 
vation, might  supply  the  great  desideratum  of  grasses  as  well  adapted 
for  making  hay  as  the  phleum  pratense  and  other  hardy  exotics  now 
are  in  the  colder  latitudes  of  New  York  and  New  England." 

FOREIGN     PLANTS. 

The  whole  vegetable  kingdom  (which  is  now  known  to  embrace 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  distinct  species)  is  comprised  in 
comparatively  few  great  natural  groups  or  families.  Those  of  the 
same  group  or  family  possess  many  traits  in  common — flourishing, 
although  even  on  opposite  sides  of  the  earth,  in  localities  not  unfre- 
quently  similar,  as  respects  the  climate  and  the  constituents  of  the 
soil  in  which  they  grow.  The  investigation  of  our  flora  would  give 
valuable  indications  as  to  what  foreign  plants,  useful  to  man,  con- 
generic with  indigenous  ones,  might  be  introduced  here  with  a  pros- 
pect of  success. 

Louisiana,  in  all  the  elements  of  true  greatness,  is  surpassed  by 
few  States  in  the  Union.  Her  sources  of  wealth  are  enormous,  yet 
they  are  only  partially  developed.  Her  liberality  is  scarcely  to  be 


17 

matched  anywhere :  witness  her  encouragement  of  domestic  enter- 
prises, manufactures,  and  railroads ;  her  asylums  for  the  insane,  the 
deaf,  the  dumb,  and  the  blind ;  her  Charity  Hospital,  and  her  con- 
tributions to  the  support  of  the  orphan  and  the  destitute ;  her  public 
school  encouragement,  and  her  million  and  a  quarter  of  dollars  lav- 
ished upon  endeavors  (we  will  not  say -how  fruitless)  to  establish 
universities,  colleges,  and  medical  schools.  But  in  the  development 
of  her  resources  that  liberality  needs  wise  direction — such  direction 
as  would  be  imparted  by  a  survey  like  that  which  has  for  many  years 
past  been  in  progress  in  New  York.  It  is  believed  that  she  is  able 
and  ready  to  emulate  the  examples  of  other  States — to  equal  the 
best  and  surpass  many  of  them.  A  survey,  worthy  of  the  name,  will 
cost,  it  is  true,  a  considerable  sum  of  money ;  but  it  will  develope 
mineral,  agricultural,  and  other  resources,  which  will  many-fold  repay 
all  the  cost ;  and  it  will  secure  great  accessions  to  that  "  knowledge 
which  is  power."  Unlike  ordinary  State  enterprises,  (such  as  the 
erection  of  public  works,  etc.,)  which  are  useless  until  they  are  com- 
pleted, every  discovery  made  by  a  geological  survey  is  an  achieve- 
ment complete  in  itself — valuable  for  its  intrinsic  worth,  independent 
of  any  other  discovery  that  may  be  lying  beyond  it ;  so  that  if  the 
crippled  finances,  or  the  caprice  of  legislation,  or  any  other  cause,  shall 
suspend  its  prosecution,  all  the  good  that  has  been  gained  remains  as 
a  real,  permanent  good.  A  survey  of  the  State  of  Louisiana,  accord- 
ing to  all  experience  elsewhere,  will  prove  a  sure,  a  paying  invest- 
ment ;  and  it  will  open  to  the  brightening  intellects  of  her  youth  a 
field  vast  as  the  variety  of  the  Creator's  works,  pursuits  dignified  as 
human  interests  and  fascinating  as  romance. 

The  New  York  survey — the  most  brilliant  hitherto  attempted  on 
this  continent — was  originally  authorized  by  the  unanimous  vote  of 
her  Legislature.  It  has  produced  an  increase  of  her  real  wealth, 
and  a  contribution  to  the  world's  stock  of  knowledge,  never  before 
equalled  by  any  nation  within  a  similar  period.  It  has  elevated  the 
American  name  wherever  science  is  respected.  It  has  given  to 
geology  a  new  nomenclature,  the  propriety  of  which  has  commanded 
the  assent  and  the  adoption  both  of  American  and  foreign  States. 
It  was  the  testimony  of  Prof.  Agassiz,  at  the  inauguration,  of  the 
State  Geological  Hall,  at  Albany,  in  August,  1856,  and  confirmed 
by  Sir  William  Logan,  of  the  Canadian  survey,  that  "no  geologist. 


18 

of  any  country,  can  henceforth  venture  to  bring  before  the  world  his 
theories  until  he  shall  first  have  consulted  the  beautiful  volumes 
which  comprise  its  results ;  and  when  men  of  science  from  Europe 
reach  our  shores,  their  first  inquiry  is,  *  which  is  the  way  to  Albany, 
where  we  may  see  that  State  collection  of  which  we  have  read  so 
much  ? ' '  But  the  New  York  survey  has  produced  results  much 
more  precious.  It  has  elevated  the  mental  and  the  moral  character 
of  her  children.  It  has  awakened  an  extraordinary  desire  for  edu 
cation,  and  an  enthusiastic  love  for  their  native  State,  which  it  is 
impossible  to  estimate  by  any  standard  not  commensurate  of  the 
highest  interests  of  the  human  race. 

We  cannot  doubt  that  the  same  precious  results  will  follow  a  simi- 
lar work  in  Louisiana.  It  is  impossible  to  set  bounds  to  her  destiny, 
if  she  but  wisely  administer  her  resources  for  the  improvement  of 
the  beautiful  heritage  which  is  entrusted  to  us  for  future  generations. 
It  is  as  true  this  day  as  when  uttered  by  Solomon — "  There  is  that 
scattereth,  and  yet  increaseth ;  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more 
than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty."  Let  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  Louisiana  authorize  a  geological  survey  on  a  scale  that  shall 
be  liberal,  efficient,  and  thorough,  and  the  people  will  justify  the 
necessary  expenditure ;  "  Her  children  [shall]  arise  up  and  call  her 
blessed;"  even  the  time-serving  politician  shall  find  its  advocacy  to 
be  the  surest  road  to  popular  favor ;  and  from  other  countries  shall 
come  such  men  as  Cuvier  and  Ehrenberg  and  Agassiz,  to  cast  in  their 
lot  with  a  people  youthful,  sagacious,  and  generous,  and  to  identify 
their  fortunes  and  their  fame  with,  the  development  of  a  State  whose 
progress  is  the  progress  of  humanity,  and  whose  enterprises  are  des- 
tined to  add  lustre  to  the  American  name,  and  to  elevate  the  species. 


For  the  purpose  of  carrying  into  effect  the  objects  contemplated  in 
the  resolution  of  Hon.  J.  T.  Hawkins,  and  in  this  Minority  Keport, 
we  offer  the  accompanying  Bill,  and  recommend  its  passage ;  and  we 
respectfully  request  that  this  Minority  Report,  and  the  Bill  accom- 
panying it,  be  printed  for  distribution  throughout  the  State. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

E.  W.  FULLER, 
JESSE  WRIGHT. 


YC  36056 


